If you like offense, today's regular-season opener for the Carolina Panthers offered all you could possibly eat . . . and then some.
The reigning NFC South champions and the reigning NFC North champions combined for a whopping 96 points, the most ever for a Week 1 matchup in NFL history. But unfortunately for Carolina, it was the Chicago Bears who came out on top—59-37.
The Panthers took an early lead after a turnover by the Bears, but Chicago's offense proved too potent even for Carolina's supposedly much-improved defense.
Quarterback Caleb Williams threw for 269 yards and two touchdowns, but it was the Bears' run game that really did the damage. In a throwback to their record-worst run defense in 2024, the Panthers allowed the Bears to record 291
yards on the ground plus a painful six rushing touchdowns—two of them coming from Williams on scrambles.
The Panthers' offense was plenty explosive themselves, including a brilliant game from their own No. 1 overall pick, Bryce Young. He threw for 361 yards and three touchdowns, two of them going to wide receiver Jalen Coker. Young also scored a touchdown of his own as a rusher.
Clearly, the Panthers still have some growing to do defensively, but you have to tip your hat to Bears head coach and offensive play-caller Ben Johnson—who's started out on the right foot in his goal to have the NFL's highest-scoring offense ever.
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This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: Panthers, Bears make NFL history with wild Week 1 shootout
